Jerry Zgoda

Jerry has been a Star Tribune sportswriter so long, his first beat directly out of college was covering the North Stars. In nearly 30 years, he has covered the NHL, the Wolves and the NBA twice (he missed the first Kevin Garnett era, which says something about his sense of timing), Gophers and NCAA athletics, the radio/TV beat, major-championship golf and outdoor recreation. Follow @JerryZgoda

Attempting to reduce wear on its players, the NBA opened its season two weeks earlier this year, a change that reduced the number of back-to-back games and ensured teams now won't play four games in five nights.

Midway through the fourth quarter against the Nets on Saturday, Jeff Teague told his coach to leave reserve Tyus Jones on the floor because Jones and Jamal Crawford had helped rebuild a double-digit lead over Brooklyn.

A Philadelphia Eagles fan since he was a boy, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns tweeted out support for his favorite team after Sunday's NFC Championship Game rout, and for plenty of Vikings fans, it was too soon.

Jeff Teague missed seven games after Denver's Will Barton fell on his leg in an overtime victory two weeks ago. He played 26 minutes against Oklahoma City, finishing with eight points and three assists.

The son of a Dominican nurse and a New Jersey basketball coach, 22-year-old Towns intends to push barriers, whether it's redefining what all a basketball big man can be or by speaking out on racism and other issues.